Surprises
by Water Angel
Summary: It’s getting harder for Cordelia to hide her feelings for Angel. One night she gets drunk and blurts out how she feels, to Angel, as well as everyone. What surprises Angel are his own feelings


Title: Surprises  
  
Author:  Phoenix Redfern  
  
Email:  phoenix_redfern@hotmail.com  
  
Spoilers:  Everything up to Season 2  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimers: I own nothing  
  
Summary: It's getting harder for Cordelia to hide her feelings for Angel. One night she gets drunk and blurts out how she feels, to Angel, as well as everyone. What surprises Angel are his own feelings.  
  
1 Prologue  
  
"I can't believe I'm here, with you losers on a Friday night. I have better things I could be doing. There could be parties, with famous people. But no, I'm here researching Darla, like a boring person." Cordelia complained as she flipped through one of the numerous books Wesley had put on the table.  
  
All of the, including their newest addition Winifred, or Fred as she preferred to be called, were buried under a mountain of books, looking for more information on Darla. Like Angel didn't know enough, Cordelia thought. She decided to voice her thoughts out loud. "If she's Angel's sire, won't he know enough about her? Why do we have to do this? It crams into my social life."  
  
"But Cordelia, you told me that your social life had come to a screeching halt lately," Fred put in innocently.  
  
Cordelia's eyes widened but before she could say anything, Angel spoke up. "I don't know everything about her Cordelia. She was alive for hundreds of years before she sired me. And she was The Master's favourite. I'm betting that there's a whole lot I don't know about my sire." He went back to looking at the books in front of him, his brow creased sexily.  
  
Cordelia couldn't take her eyes off him for a moment. He looked so good just sitting there in his black shirt and pants reading a book. Her thoughts wandered to the dream she had had the night before. It had involved her, Angel and whipped cream. She blushed at the things that they had done.  
  
"Are you alright Cordelia?" Wesley asked.  
  
Cordelia snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She snapped. She was mostly angry with herself. She didn't want her thoughts to be going other places when she was with the others, it was too risky.  
  
"You just look a little flushed," Wesley said going back to his books.  
  
"You know I am feeling a little hot. I think I'll just go outside of a minute. Be back soon." Cordelia practically ran out of the room, ignoring the smirk she saw Gunn give her.  
  
When she got outside she let the breeze wash over her. She closed her eyes and just breathed. It helped her to do this at times. Just let her clear her head. And lately she had needed that a lot. It was getting harder and harder for her to hide her feelings for him.  
  
She knew that Gunn had an idea how she felt about Angel. And she thanked him everyday for not saying anything. But she didn't know hoe much longer she was going to be able to keep her feelings to herself. Seeing him everyday, and being in their situations, the danger and excitement, was really testing Cordelia's willpower.  
  
She looked out over LA at night. With the lights shining everywhere, Cordelia knew it was a beautiful city, but also a deadly one. She knew about the danger all too well as she had been in those situations more then she would have liked.  
  
As she was thinking back on all those times, she felt the beginnings of a vision coming on. She turned and ran as fast as she could back into the hotel. She made it as far as the door before she collapsed. As Cordelia fell to the ground her hand went through one of the glass panels, but that pain was small compared to the pain in her head.  
  
Everyone looked up when they heard a crash. Cordelia was lying on the floor holding her head. Angel ran up to her, holding her still to keep her from harming herself. When Cordelia's shuddering stopped he asked her softly. "What did you see?"  
  
Cordelia looked up at him for a moment before jerking her body away, holding her cut hand. She turned and took the aspirin Wesley gave her, and let him tend to her hand. "I'm fine, thankyou for asking." She said sarcastically. She was hurting and Angel was more concerned about what happened in her vision than he was of her.  
  
"I was going to ask you that next," Angel said defending himself. "I'm trying to keep LA safe from demons. That's my job, and- "  
  
"What did you see, Cordelia?" Wesley asked in his soft British accent.  
  
Cordelia thought for a moment. "Do you remember that Slayer Fest Mr Trick organised when my Prom was on?" Cordelia asked Wesley. When he nodded, she continued. "Well, it looked like the one that could shoot spikes out of his arms."  
  
"Kulak of the Miquot Clan," Wesley's brow furrowed "But he was in that cabin when it exploded. I don't think it could be him."  
  
"It wasn't," Cordelia told him. "That guy had yellow skin, this one had an orangey-yellow skin colour. It was definitely someone like that Kulak guy. I should know, he tried to kill me." She muttered to herself.  
  
"Calm down beach Barbie," Gunn said. "We're not doubting your skull- cracking, mind-numbing visions. Wes, was just asking a question."  
  
Cordelia sighed. "I know, my head just hurt. I think these visions are getting worse, not better." She put her head in her hands. "The demon was at the corner of 6th and Wilsher. Attacking some party at the bar on the corner." As the others got up to run out the door Cordelia yelled out. "Be careful, this one's a lot worse than what Buffy and I faced."  
  
"Are you going to be okay?" Wesley asked from the door of the hotel.  
  
"I'll survive," Cordelia answered weakly. "Just go and get rid of the baddie."  
  
"I'll look after her," Fred told him, moving to help Cordelia up into a chair. "Go, fight that demon. We'll be okay." Fred smiled as her rushed out the door after the other two.  
  
Cordelia looked at the smiled on Fred's face and couldn't help smiling herself. Fred had come a long way since they had brought her back from Pilea, three months ago. At first she had shut herself up in her room and wouldn't talk to anyone except for Angel. But after Angel left for Sri Lanka to get over his grief for Buffy Fred had had no choice but to become a …joiner. Her and Cordelia had bonded during the time that Angel was away and now Fred was more confident than she ever had been before. Her clothes and the way she acted was nothing like she ever had been, before and after Pilea. Sure, she did spout off some sort of scientific knowledge that no one but her understood, but everyone had come to love her.  
  
Fred turned back to Cordelia. Her tight fitting, green skirt and shirt brought out all of her assets. It should, Cordelia thought absently, I picked it out. "Are you really okay?" Fred asked her, her eyes filled with worry.  
  
Cordelia was touched by her concern. "No, but I will be." She said looking down at her cut hand. The wound wasn't deep and would heal in a few days, but it still stung. "Don't worry about me, I've gotten through this before, this time will be no different."  
  
"But scientifically you might not always get through this, Cordelia. You shouldn't feel ashamed to ask for help. Any one of us would do anything for you, you know that."  
  
"I know," Cordelia said, getting up to tidy the surrounding area. She hated talking about how her visions made her feel. She didn't want people to know how much she really felt. The people's every emotion were transmitted to her and then intensified. And they seemed to be getting stronger. "I know you would do anything to help me, I just hate being a burden. We have enough to deal with as it is. You don't need me complaining about a headache."  
  
"You're not a burden Cordelia," Fred said. "You never could be. We all care about you, we wouldn't be Angel Investigations without you."  
  
Cordelia smiled. "Thanks, I'm just going to lie down for minute. Come and get me when the guys get back." Cordelia walked slowly up the stairs, opening her eyes as little possible to try and keep the pounding in her head down.  
  
Fred sighed as she watched Cordelia go up the stairs. She was really concerned about her friend. Maybe she should talk to Wesley about it when he got back, he would know what to do.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Do you think Cordelia will be alright?" Wesley asked, concerned about the Seer. She had been through a lot and never complained about anything.  
  
Gunn shrugged. "The girl has it tough, but she's learning to deal with it."  
  
Angel turned around. "I don't mean to be rude here, but can you talk about this later? We have a demon to find." Angel turned back to the street ahead of him. Moving stealthily along, even though they were out in the open.  
  
"Angel, man, the demon's not going to attack right her in the open. Even it would know not to do that." Gunn said shaking his head. He looked around the streets surrounding them. It was a typical LA night. Everything was out, human and otherwise. It just gave him the creeps that people could live like this and not know what went bump in the night.  
  
"There it is," Angel said running behind a car. "It's going into that bar."  
  
"We must stop it immediately," Wesley said getting his battle-axe ready. "It must not harm anyone."  
  
"Let's go then." Gunn said rolling his eyes at his two friends. They seemed to do more talking than working. If it were left to them, a demon would get away because they would be talking about killing it, and not getting the job down.  
  
The three men ran across the street into the bar the demon had gone into. As soon as they walked in, they were hit with the stench of smoke. It seemed that the people that frequented here were big chain-smokers.  
  
"Can we hurry this up?" Gunn asked, waving at the smoke in front of his face. "I don't want lung cancer. It's too expensive."  
  
"What?" Angel asked confused.  
  
"You know, staying in the hospital, getting treatment. A brother just can't afford the rate doctors' charge." Gunn responded.  
  
"Okay then," Angel said turning back to the scene before of them. "Look, there he goes into that back room." Angel ran through the bar towards the door.  
  
"It's locked." Wesley said when e tried the handle.  
  
"Not any more," Angel grunted kicking open the door.  
  
All three men ran inside starting a bloody fight, something they always enjoyed, if it didn't kill them.  
  
TBC  
  
What do you think? Should I continue? Feedback is appreciated 


End file.
